Around 30,000 people with mental illness will spend Christmas with the prospect of a tribunal hanging over them, having attempted to claim disability benefits, campaigners have said. Analysis of Government figures by Rethink Mental Illness suggests some will spend the festive period missing out on upwards of £100 a week,…

A "turning point" has been reached in the fight against poverty following the first sustained increases in child and pensioner poverty for 20 years, according to a new report. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said almost 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners are living in poverty than four years…

Nearly a third of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) have had their initial claim for disability benefits rejected after the system was reformed, campaigners have warned. Data obtained by the MS Society suggests 31% of new claims for personal independence payment (PIP) by people with MS were "disallowed" by…

Terminally ill people should stop being forced to "self-certify" they have only months to live in order to claim Universal Credit, an SNP MP will tell the Commons. Drew Hendry is set to use an adjournment debate to criticise the "heartless new requirement" for Universal Credit claimants, even if they…

Some banks have been told not to lend money to anyone claiming Universal Credit, an SNP MP has claimed. Philippa Whitford added that claimants looking for loans could be driven "into the hands of payday lenders and loan sharks" if they cannot get the funds from other sources. She made…

Shelter says its free helpline received a cry for help every 22 seconds during its busiest times last Christmas - and it fears the situation could be worse this winter. Research from the housing charity and Marks & Spencer found that in 2016 the Shelter's helpline received over 100,000 calls…

Labour have joined campaigners in rounding on a flagship reform to sickness and disability benefits, after it emerged 18,000 new claimants with the worst conditions each year will no longer face reassessments. The figure, confirmed after a Freedom of Information request, is equivalent to between 6% and 12% of people…

Changes to the Government's flagship welfare scheme are to be made after strong criticism that low income families were suffering. Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the wait for the initial payment for Universal Credit claimants will be cut from six to five weeks. MPs, unions and charities have been warning…